The Legend of Admir—Chapter 8: A Sight For Sore Eyes
The past comes back to bite Admir, in more ways than one.
[Roll]
What is the goal they are trying to accomplish? I'm assuming they wanted the compass and the blessing of the Emissaries.
Action+Theme. 81, 73: Risk Religion.
I know what they are.
I think he's like...zealous-2.
Very Likely, +2 +5 => +7
....interesting. 1+1+7 = 9, no. So, first things first: it's zealous-1
Secondly...a random event. Focus: 46. NPC Positive.
d8+d10 = 5,6. This is.... The Kozen Elementals of Fire story.
"Congratulations, Admir."
Finn blocked the exit, eyes fixated on Admir. Something felt wrong.
"For...what?"
"Why, you found something special." Finn gestured to the compass in Admir's hands. "We always knew there was something powerful in here, and you found it on your first try. Tell me: what did you have to do to find it? Did you speak with them, the fire elementals? Legend has it they only speak to those they deem worthy."
Admir kept his mouth shut and slid the compass into his bag. Finn's eyes followed, watching his every movement. Yesterday, he would have been caught up in Finn's allure. Today, after facing everything he'd gone through, after meeting those beings, his head was clearer. Something about Finn was off, and he needed to escape as soon as possible.
"Do not test me, Admir," Finn said, as if reading his mind. "Look, how about this: we can turn it over together. My family and I, we were looking for this. It belongs to us. You can join us, too. You can join our family."
Admir kept quiet, but shook his head.
Finn sighed and pulled a horrible looking blade from somewhere on him. "It didn't have to be this way. We would have welcomed you. But..."
Admir recalled the moment with his shield and torch, and how inspirational it was. He wanted a story worth telling, but he wasn't going to make it past a madman with a blade.
Increasing difficulty.
Hard choices.
The ruins had made him lose confidence in himself, resorting to depending on his magic for everything to survive. He had begun to doubt the strength of his words. It'd always been his strongest weapon before.
"Wait," Admir blurted out, throwing his hands up. "I'm...scared. And hurt. I've had a long, long night, and it only got worse. Huge spiders, a swarm of rats, and something like that woman...I think he infected me." He motioned to the bandage. "Maybe...Maybe I should join you. I'm not thinking too straight, but I know I don't want to fight you, Finn."
[Roll]
charming, all four. I thiiiink Finn's crow's cunning (oops, spoiler, lol) works here. Finn is smart.
+3
3+6+3 = 12. I want to give Finn guard-down-3.
Finn's smile widened, almost genuinely, and he sheathed his blade. "See? That was easy. Man, I'm so glad you changed your mind." Finn approached Admir with open arms...
...and Admir punched him in the face.
[Roll]
Okay. I have ZERO fighting tags, so I'm depending on guard-down-3 to do the heavy lifting. I, sadly, want to think that both crows cunning and swift-2 affect this, meaning this is a straight 2d6. Yup, nothing else.
2+5 = 7. So harm-1 on Finn, but Consequences. Honestly, i think a fitting consequence is for Admir to ALSO take harm-1. lmao Admir doesn't fight!
Finn's head snapped back as he stumbled, hands clutching his face as blood dripped to the ground. A second later, pain rushed through Admir's hand.
I'm going to have to learn how to fight eventually, aren't I?
"YOU IDIOT!" Finn roared. "I wanted you around. I wanted you to join us. I wanted to get to know you better and...AGH."
"Oh, shut up."
[Roll]
The illusion tags, so +3.
I think Finn's cunning helps here, too, so +2.
4+4+2 = 10! YAY
distracted-2
Multiple clones of Admir sprang into existence, mimicking his actions as he paced around Finn slowly.
"You...You're one of them." Finn's eyes widened and his face twisted.
Each visage of Admir spoke in unison. "What do you mean—"
Finn rushed him.
Admir had never been in many fights growing up. He had a lot of mouth, but never particularly had the strength or courage to even attempt to back it up. Not that he was an asshole, mind you, but he was a charming kid who simply talked too much and ruffled the occasional feather or two. The rare instance in which he'd been in a fight, he simply grabbed whatever he could and tossed it at his attacker.
[Roll]
I think...all I have are the sewing supplies. Sooooo........gonna burn that and have Admir toss all of them onto Finn.
+3 + distracted-2 = +5 - cunning - swift-2 = +2
1+3+2 = 6. Hmmm...
That hadn't gone particularly well then, but he hoped that by tossing the sewing supplies in his bag this time, he could achieve a different result.
[Roll]
Triggering Lesson's Learned.
It's a +2 again...
2+6+2 = 10! YAY!!!
One to Harm, and one to... I dunno. lol
Finn screamed as various sharp objects jammed into his face. He knelt on the ground in pain, tossing the pair of scissors that was in the bag off to the side, the tip bloody.
Admir stared for a moment in disbelief, then fled before Finn could resume his onslaught.
There had been no large conspiracy against him or his family. Wynton had done what he'd done for simple greed, nothing more.
It took Kaito many moons to come to terms with that. He'd done so much in search of the truth. He'd been pardoned for his crimes thanks to saving the queen, but... Had the answer really been that simple? He was still without his family, forever alone, an orphan. And now, he had no purpose in life.
Well, that is until the queen offered him a job as her personal guard. He'd proven to be quite effective and she would have no one else perform the duties now. It didn't take him long to agree to what she'd asked. He wasn't doing this for fame or riches.
He just hoped he could prevent another child from losing their loved ones in the same way he did.
THE END
[Roll]
That was a goood scene, but not super crazy. Nice fight though, and I as the Narrator learned a lot. Admir will learn this over time though. lol
Also just realized that Scene 6 should have reset the Chaos to 5. Whoops. lmfao
You know what...I'm going to reset the Chaos back to 5, and just have him arrive back in Kozen Crest.
(I think I mentioned this before, but I'm also using the Adventure Crafter, especially since I'm now done with the Kozen Crest adventure.)
10, 11—Tension: None
8, 61—Mystery: EVIDENCE: A Character finds something that helps settle an
existing question. For instance, the gun that killed a victim is found stashed under a suspect’s bed.
7, 47—Personal: FAMILY MATTERS: This Turning Point involves a family member or members of a Character. For instance, an occult investigator is about to head off on a mission when his sister unexpectedly appears on his doorstep, or one of the Characters has an uncle who is a feudal lord and is summoning them for their help in defending his land because no one else will stand by him.
6, 24—Personal: None
2, 90—Social: JUST CAUSE GONE AWRY: This Turning Point involves
something that began as a just cause but has spiraled into
something unjust. For instance, a hero takes down a group of orcs terrorizing a town, saving the people, but now the hero has installed himself as the overlord of the town and is demanding tribute.
Evidence could point to who's going to cure the infection.
I don't think any family has arrived in Kozen Crest...
I want to know how tending to that shrine messed up this one.
Description+Focus:
76, 77: Prominent Shortcut.
Hmm. This "shortcut," how long has it been essentially unaccessible due to that shrine being untended? Years? (For each additional degree, the order is days, weeks, months, years, decades, 2 decades, etc.)
I think Years is Likely, +1.
9+4+1 = 14, yes. And 14 is riiight within that first degree, so just a handful of years.
The sight of Kozen Crest allowed Admir to finally let his guard down, the fear of some dangerous creature or crazed cultist now a distant memory.
And, to his surprise, Kozen Crest was bustling. The people looked much more active than they had previously, and he was sure the air felt clearer. Admir smiled. Perhaps what he'd done in the ruins had done something here. It was a long shot, but he was hopeful. He pushed his way through the mass of people and headed to the shrine first. That would tell him if his efforts had done anything meaningful.
[Roll]
I think that the shrine is still destroyed, with no progress made on fixing it just yet.
Very Likely, +2.
1+7+2 = 10, no. Okay, so they've begun to start the repairs and tending to it.
The shrine was still damaged—no magical fix there—but it was being tended to. Fresh offerings were left behind and people were praying and showing their respects. Surely he had nothing to do with this, but he couldn't help but feel proud, and slightly responsible.
He just so happened to look to his right and was amazed to see a familiar face: Tiga. His smiled widened and he waved. She approached.
...angrily.
"What did you do!?" She clearly wanted to scream but kept her voice to a loud whisper. She wasn't the same happy woman he'd seen previously. "Did you go to the ruins?"
Perhaps she was having a bad day? "Yeah, I met the—"
"Agh!" she groaned. "That might explain it. The miasma that was blocking off that path for years?" She pointed in some direction that didn't mean much to Admir. "Well, it's gone now."
"That's...a good thing...right?"
She rolled her eyes and grabbed Admir by the arm with a huff and led him through Kozen Crest to a small building. She spoke with the two guards standing outside briefly and they allowed her inside. Admir took the hint and followed her.
[Roll]
What's this person's name that I'm thinking of?
... I roll for her name, and have it, but it never comes up in the fiction, so I'll save that for another time.
"Ma'am, my suspicions were right," Tiga said, leading Admir towards an elderly woman with dark skin and fraying hair. "Remember the boy I said that was asking about the ruins? He went there."
"And returned, alive?" The elder looked Admir up and down from her seat. He could tell she was holding something back by the way her eyes squinted and head tilted. "What's your name, child?"
"Admir Tailor...ma'am."
"Why did you go to the ruins?"
"Tiga told me the story about the ruins and the fire elementals," he said, trying to remember what he'd told Tiga. "She told me it probably had something to do with the shrine and I got curious."
[Roll]
I want to see if the elder believes him.charming + well spoken
+2
3+4+2 = 9. So, "yes, but..."
"Let's say I believe that. You're not a local. Why would that be something to concern yourself with?"
"Did...did I do something wrong?"
"Well, Admir, to put it bluntly: yes." She stood up and moved from behind her desk. "For years now, a miasma has shrouded a particular path outside of Kozen Crest. While initially concerning, it's actually helped to keep up safe. Nothing could cross it without being infected. Well, we got report early this morning from our scouts that the miasma is gone. And with it, the protection it has afforded us these last few years."
"I...I didn't know. I'm sorry."
"Sorry won't protect my people. Why did you come to Kozen Crest?"
"He said he was looking for work. He's from Nairene."
[Roll]
Okay. I need to know a small detail about Admir's childhood so I know how the elder reacts here, if at all.
What happened to have Admir's parents give him up?
Action+Theme:
67, 92: Oppose Treaty.
Okay, I thiiiiiink I know.
She can react in one of two ways.
Does she react positively?
50/50. And we'll use degrees.
7+2=9, no.
The woman stared at Admir, eyes piercing his soul, and she smirked. He took a step back unintentionally.
"Of course. I'm surprised it took me this long to notice, but—you'll have to forgive me—I am old. My eyes aren't what they used to be."
The way she emphasized "eyes" made his spine tingle.
"I-I'm sorry to bother you. I...I think it's best if I go now."
"Oh, I think so, too. Whatever business you had with Kozen Crest, Admir Tailor, it's done. Tiga, please escort this man outside of the palisade."
"No, wait, please," Admir pleaded. "I went through a lot of stuff in those ruins and I need to restock and rest and—"
"That is none of my concern. You have invited trouble into our walls once again."
Admir tilted his head. "Again?"
"Oh, don't play dumb with me, child." She took steps toward Admir, forcing him back even further. She wasn't particularly tall or physically imposing, but her presence beared down on him. "You know exactly what I mean."
"Ma'am?" Tiga seemed just as confused as he was now.
"He lied to you," the elder said. "He's not here looking for work."
"That's not a lie. I just left home and wanted to see the world." Which was, technically, mostly true.
"Oh, really? And you chose Kozen Crest, of all places, as your stop?" She squinted.
"Ma'am, I don't know what you're implying, but—"
"He knows. He thinks just because he can blend in that he doesn't stand out. I know you, child. Truly a sight for sore eyes. I know what secrets you hide. And if he does not want me to tell you or anyone else in this village what I know, then he'd best make his exit. Now."
"I...I'll die out there."
"I should have let your—" She caught herself. "No. It doesn't matter now. Tiga, escort him out. Now."
END OF BOOK 1
Want to travel to Kozen Crest yourself? Check out Mythic Magazine Volume 44!
